High BMI Linked to Ozone Sensitivity

While exposure to atmospheric ozone is known to create a temporary drop in lung function, for the first time researchers have connected the BMI of the person to how he is affected by ozone exposure. Researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, ), part of the National Institutes of Health, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found that people with a high BMI are more apt to have an adverse response to ozone than thinner people.

In the study, researchers used data collected from 197 non smoking men and women who were 18-35 years old. The researchers looked at whether or not the amount of fat each person had affected the lung response when the person was exposed to ozone.

"It has been known for a long time that in response to short-term exposure to ozone lung function tends to temporarily drop in many people. There has recently been interest in why some people's lung function drops more than others - - age and perhaps genetics, as well as diet may play a role, " said NIEHS researcher and co-author Stephanie London, M.D. in a press release "We were intrigued by recent mouse studies that showed that obesity increases lung responses to ozone and wanted to see whether this applied in humans."

The data used was collected from individuals who were exposed to high levels of ozone for 90 minutes while they exercised and rested. Their lung function was tested both before and after to determine the effect that the ozone exposure had one their lung function.

For most of the participants, a higher BMI was linked to a greater response to ozone exposure. The people with the lowest response to the ozone exposure were underweight people, and the ozone response climbed when the participants had a higher percentage of fat. However, because the study looked at data that was not collected with BMI in mind, researchers suggest that further studies should be conducted.

"It's notable that these results came out of a study that was done in a population of predominantly normal weight individuals," said London. "This suggests that these effects may be even more important in the general population where there are large proportions of overweight and obese individuals."

While researchers are unclear as to why ozone exposure decreases lung fuction more in people with a high BMI, the authors o the study suggest is could be related to circulatory hormones or other inflammatory factors. Currently it is estimated that two thirds of adults in the United States are overweight or obese.

Source:

NIH/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, "Ozone can affect heavier people more", Eurekalert